World Cup:Qatar, Russia Win What San Francisco Could Not

Not happening in San Francisco. At least not on the field.

​Today's decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively, to Russia and Qatar -- yes, Qatar! -- comes as cold comfort for San Francisco. We learned all the way back in January that, even if the United States succeeded in its Cup bid, there was no way any soccer was going to be played in our fair city.

Quite simply, to anoint San Francisco a host city for 2018 or 2022 would be to assume that Candlestick Park will be in one piece by then -- or that the city will have built a new, world-class stadium.

Soccer's governing body has decided it's a better bet to award the tournament to autocratic nations, one of which regularly reaches 120 degrees during the summer. Sadly, they're right.

Interestingly, a full four months after local soccer fans learned the World Cup wasn't coming here no matter what, our elected officials made the discovery and actually responded by sending a "letter of inquiry."

Should they wish to do the same four months from now, they can address their correspondences to FIFA, soccer's governing body, in Zurich.

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